GREENWICH 



3690 



GREENWICH OBSERVATORY 



Greenwich. Town of Connecti- 

 cut, U.S.A., in Fairfield co. It 

 stands in a picturesque position on 

 Long Island Sound, 27 m. N.E. of 

 New York City, at the S.W. ex- 

 tremity of the state, and is served 

 by the New York, New Haven and 

 Hartford Rly., besides having con- 

 nexion with New York by steamer 

 and electric rly. A residential dis- 

 trict and holiday resort, it contains 

 Greenwich Academy and other 

 educational establishments. The 

 place is noted for its oysters. It 

 was settled in 1640. Pop. 18,277. 



Greenwich Hospital. British 

 institution founded for aged and 

 infirm sailors, and since 1873 the 

 home of the Royal Naval College. 

 Situated on the right bank of the 

 Thames, 5 m. below London Bridge, 

 it occupies the site of an old royal 

 palace, and of its successor, built 

 by Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, 

 and named by him Placentia. 

 Charles II, in 1667, began to rebuild 

 the palace from designs by Inigo 

 Jones and Webb, but only one 

 wing was completed. Building was 

 resumed under William III and 

 Anne, from designs by Wren. In 

 1705 the new buildings were 

 opened as a seamen's hospital, in 

 memory of the naval victory of 

 La Hogue, and of Queen Mary, 

 consort of William III. 



The buildings consist of several 

 groups. The original design of 

 the massive river facade is ascribed 

 to Webb. To a second group belong 

 the completion and extension of the 

 river fasade, and the S. blocks, de- 

 signed by Wren, with fine colon- 

 nades and the W. and E. domes. 

 The E. dome was completed by 

 Hawksmoor. To the second group 

 belongs also the Painted Hall, 

 once the dining hall, designed and 

 carried out by Wren. The pavilions 

 at each extremity of the terrace 

 were built in 1778. The King 

 Charles buildings are divided from 

 those of Queen Anne by a great 

 square on the river front. The 

 statue of George II in the centre 



was executed by 

 Rysbrack out of a 

 single block of 

 white marble, cap- 

 tured from the 

 French by Admiral 

 Rooke. 



Beyond the 

 square are the Hall 

 and Chapel, each 

 with a beauti- 

 fully proportioned 

 dome. Other 

 buildings are 

 the old infirmary, 

 now the Seamen's 

 Hospital; and the 

 Royal Hospital 

 School, the central part of which 



Greenwich Observatory. The extension opened in 1897 

 Greenwich Observatory. 



Nelson and other naval men, and 



man 

 In 



was designed by Inigo Jones. The Headquarters of the British astro- 

 Painted Hall contains relics of nomer royal. Founded by Charles 



II, on a hill in the centre of Green- 

 wich Park, on the site of a tower 

 built by Duke Humphrey, it was 

 handed over to Flamsteed, the 

 first astronomer royal, in 107(5. 

 From here is reckoned the zero 

 meridian of longitude in British 

 maps and charts ; and here is 

 reckoned what is known as Green- 

 wich mean time. Admiralty chro- 

 nometers and watches are supplied, 

 repaired, and rated at the Obser- 

 vatory, in connexion with which 

 are magnetic and meteorological 

 observatories. 



The work in all the observatories 



ny portraits and battle pictures. 



the museum are a collection of 

 models, and a Franklin room. The 

 chapel, burnt in 1779, was rebuilt 

 in 1779-89, and restored in 1851 

 and 1882. The N. and S. fronts of 

 the hospital are of Portland stone, 

 the W. of brick. On the terrace 

 are two obelisks in memory, re- 

 spectively, of Lieut. J. R. Bellot, 

 the French Arctic explorer (d. 

 1853), and the marines who tell in 

 the New Zealand war of 1863-64. 



Greenwich Naval College. 

 British institution for the higher 



education of officers for the royal is continuous, the instruments are 



navy. When the system of in- numerous and of thehighestquality, 



pensions at Greenwich Hospital 



expired in 1869, the greater part 



of the buildings was adapted to 



the needs of the College, which was 



opened in 1873. In addition to 



officers of the R.N., it is open to 



those of the R.M.A., R.M.L.T., 



the Royal Indian Marine, and 



the merchant service. Courses of 



and only visitors making serious 

 scientific inquiries are, as a rule, 

 admitted. On the E. wall are a 

 24-hour electric clock, and various 

 standards of length. A new build- 

 ing was completed in 1897. A fine 

 view can be obtained from the 

 terrace. Details of the work carried 

 on are supplied in animal official 



private students of naval archi- 

 tecture and marine engineering. 

 The president, a flag officer, is 

 assisted by a naval captain, com- 

 mander, and a large staff of in- 

 structors. 



instruction are provided also for reports. A little to the E. are the 



buildings that contain the magnetic 

 instruments, and to the N. of 

 these remains of a Roman house 

 were discovered in 1902. See 

 Clocks; Observatory; also frontis. 

 to Vol. 1. 



Greenwich Hospital from the river. On the lelt 



are Queen Anne's buildings ; on the right, King 



Charles's buildings 



Greenwich Hospital. The Painted Hall, formerly 



the dining hall, containing portraits of naval 



celebrities 



